The Spy is a powerful , exciting, and thought-provoking Netflix limited series in which Sacha Baron Cohen appears in a serious role rather than his more common comic roles.  He plays the male lead in the series which purports to tell the true and tragic story of Eli Cohen, an astounding Israeli Mossad agent  under  deep cover in Syria in the 1960s. For example, it shows Osama bin Laden as a young boy helping his father.

Hadar Ratzon Rotem plays his intense wife, Nadia, and Noah Emmerich  his morally conflicted handler Dan Peleg.

This film asks some interesting and important questions about how far can a state go in asking one of its citizens to go, in making sacrifices for his or her country? How big must an ask be, before it is too big? Are there limits on what a country can ask, if the work of that individual is astonishing valuable to the country?

As well there is a corollary question, when is an individual wrong in sacrificing himself and his family for the benefit of their country? When is it legitimate for the citizen and family to say the limit of sacrifice has been reached. When must the country say, this is the limit and refrain from using him or her anymore because anything beyond this is intolerable?

Or are there no such limits? What can possibly be right and just?

Finally, what would it mean if there were no limits?

These are interesting and important questions handled with maturity rather than juvenile bravado unlike so many other films. Especially spy films and other thrillers. I think that is enough to make it worth your while to watch. Let me know if you disagree.